From: harnoor singh
To: City Clerk Internet EMAIL Group
Subject: Public comment for Agenda Item R
Date: Monday, May 11, 2026 7:22:54 PM
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My name is Harnoor Singh. I grew up in Somis, and am currently a student at MIT studying Nuclear Science and Engineering with a concentration in Sustainability. I am writing in support of this resolution.
Studying energy systems at such a deep technical level has reinforced something I already understood growing up here: fossil fuel extraction is a finite industry and is managing its own decline. California oil production itself has fallen steadily for decades not due to policy but because of depleting reserves. Along with this, the carbon intensity of California sourced oil is growing as well, meaning what remains is more expensive, and increasingly dirty to extract. The clean energy transition is scientifically inevitable and we must plan for it responsibly or see the consequences of not doing so.
Ventura County already has nearly 1400 idle unplugged wells, cleanup costs estimated at $776 million, and no operator funds in site to cover them. From an engineering standpoint, that is a liability that simply compounds upon itself the longer that it sits unaddressed. The orphan well problem alone is reason enough for our local government to go on record demanding accountability now, before these costs fall to the taxpayers. The setback law, SB 1137, represents exactly the evidence-based public health policy that the science supports. Especially with a federal court recently upholding it, Camarillo urging its defense is the right call.
I know what it means to take an active role in community leadership. I served on the Oxnard Union High School District Board of Trustees as a student trustee, where I learned that local elected bodies have a responsibility not only to focus on day to day operations, but also and very importantly to take principled positions on issues that shape the long term future of the communities they serve. This is what this resolution asks of the Camarillo City Council, and I believe that they are capable of meeting that moment.
I urge the Council to pass this resolution.
Harnoor Singh
MIT Class of 2028, Nuclear Science and Engineering and Sustainability Somis, CA